


Bonded

by Belanna



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 12:12:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belanna/pseuds/Belanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrus gives Shep a present :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bonded

This is my first Mass Effect fanfic…please be kind :)  
A big shout out to the amazing Flipped Eclipsed for the beta. \o/ *big glomps* All left over boo boos are made by me :P  
Rated PG-13 for language and mild smexyness

 

Commander Kate Shepard sighed as she sat on her bed, picture frame in hand. It wasn’t fair, she thought, as she ran her hand over Kaidan Alenko’s face. It wasn’t her fault that she died saving Joker’s sorry ass from the Normandy. It wasn’t her fault that Cerberus decided to bring her back because they couldn’t think of anyone else who could stop the Collectors and the Reapers. It wasn’t her fault that the Alliance and the Council had given her the middle finger and weren't supporting her at all in her current mission.

Another sigh.

The thing that bothered Shepard the most though was Kaidan. When they saw each other on Horizon, he hugged her. She loved the feel of him, his arms embracing her, holding her close. She had inhaled his scent, a smile drifting onto her face; he smelled exactly as she remembered. Vivid memories emerged of their night together before going to Ilos. Then, after that brief moment of happiness, Kaidan broke the hug, pointed a finger at her, and called her a traitor.

She let a tear escape her eye, but she quickly wiped it away as she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Garrus Vakarian entered cautiously, aware that something was bothering her. “Am I disturbing you?” 

“No, I was just thinking.”

“About what?” he asked as he took the three steps down to her bed where she sat.

“About how life is unfair and that I just wished the Illusive Man would have left me dead, like the rest of the Normandy.” Her voice was laced with a hint of venom.

He sat down beside her, noticing the picture of Kaidan she was holding. “I for one am glad that the Illusive Man brought you back. We need you.”

“Two years have passed, Garrus. Anderson, the Council, even Kaidan thinks I am a traitor. They don’t even think I'm me anymore.” She frowned.

“That’s their loss, Kate,” he said as he placed his hand on hers.  
“You’re the Shepard that I met two years ago on the Citadel. The one that was strong, brave and who wanted to kick Saren's ass.”

Shepard turned her gaze back to Kaidan smiling face, the hurt in her heart deepening. “I wish he would’ve believed me. I miss him.”

Garrus stood from the bed and took the frame gently from her hand. “He’s an idiot. I’m sorry, Shepard, but if you and I had been in a relationship, and I'd lost you for two years.... Well, if you'd reappeared I wouldn’t care if you were making deals with the devil. Turians choose their bond mate for life, and whatever the reason, I would never have left you. I would have gladly stayed by your side, helping you however I could. Kaidan has no idea how much he's lost by walking away from you.”

“I’ve never had anyone in my life that was really special, Garrus, at least not after Mindoir.” She stood up too, and took the picture away from Garrus. She took a moment to place the picture face down on her desk. “Anderson took me under his wing when I joined the Alliance. He's always been there for me. Well, until now.” She paused for a moment. “When I met Kaidan, I really thought I had found the right person to spend the rest of my life with, no matter how short that life could be.”

Garrus felt his jaw twitching, his talons digging into his palms. He controlled himself though, hiding the jealousy that coursed through him.

“We shared such a special moment before Ilos. I…” Shepard paused and turned to look at her turian friend. She realized she was making him uncomfortable and she ran her hand over her brow. “I’m sorry, I’m sure you don’t want to hear all this.”

“It’s okay,” he replied. “I don’t mind at all. I notice you humans like to express your feelings, and I am happy you want to share them with me."

Shepard leaned on her desk and let out a deep sigh. “Damn it, Garrus. The only friend who's stayed by my side in this whole fucking mess is you. Liara ditched me to go after the Shadow Broker, Tali went off to do a secret mission for the fleet, Wrex is running Tuchanka, but I don’t blame him. And Kaidan…” Shepard lowered her head. “I have nothing to fight for now.”

“Hey, hey…” he closed the distance between them and embraced her. 

Garrus was actually surprised she'd broken down. This was the famous Commander Shepard of the Normandy. The one that killed Saren, destroyed Sovereign, saved the Council (which he personally wouldn’t have, if he was her), and saved the galaxy from the Reaper invasion. To think the person in his arms now was the same fierce warrior he had known two years ago, he wouldn’t have believed it. Although Garrus was never any good at reading human emotions; hell, he'd had to ask Joker a few times about some of Kelly’s lame jokes, he knew that he needed to be here for his friend. 

“Thank you,” she finally said, taking a step. “Sorry you had to see that.”

“Hey, that’s what I'm here for.” Garrus smirked. There was a slight pause before Garrus took her hand. “I came up here to see how you were doing, but also I came by to give you a gift.”

“A gift?” Shepard asked as she followed him back to the bed and sat down.

“Yes, I know it’s nothing special like you humans and your chocolates and flowers, but…” Garrus pulled something out of his pocket, holding it up for Shepard to see. “I thought you might like it.”

“Garrus, its beautiful!” she gasped as she saw the necklace dangling from one of his talons.

“It’s called a Likuna. It’s a symbol that represents two spirits intertwining, bonding forever. I ran into an old friend back on Omega and saw that he had one for sale. When I was running with my group, they had brought special trinkets to remember who they were fighting for. Josh, a human who was fighting for his daughter, always carried a picture of her. It was to remind him of why he was there fighting, to make not only Omega, but the universe a little bit safer for his girl. The only person I really thought of was you. You’re the one that made me want to fight and keep on fighting, even after you died. The Likuna reminded me that you were always with me, that spirits don’t disappear, that they're always watching over us. You could say you were my, what do humans call them… guardian angel?” 

Shepard felt like she was going to cry as Garrus unclasped the necklace and placed it around her neck. Her heart skipped a beat as he whispered into her ear. “You’re never alone, Kate. No matter what happens, I’m with you until the very end.”

She ran her fingers over it, her mind racing at what had just happened. She turned to him and stared into his eyes. “Garrus,” she whispered as she traced her fingers over his own talons. “I…”

Garrus made the first move. He leaned in and nuzzled his nose against hers. He'd wanted to do that for years, to take her in his arms and hold her. His mind raced at the thoughts of both of them, but quickly pushed them aside as he felt her hands on his forearm, gripping him like a lifeline. Garrus growled in a low tone before standing up. “This is unfair to you, I’m taking advantage.”

“No, please…” Shepard snatched his arm as he tried to flee.

His heart thumped loudly in his chest. He closed his eyes as he lowered his head. “I’ve made to many mistakes in my life, especially the one where I didn’t claim you first. You’re special to me, and I don’t want to ruin what we have. I don’t want to complicate things.”

Shepard stood up and walked in front of him. “Look at me,” she whispered as she grabbed his hands. “Nothing will ever jeopardize our friendship. You’re everything to me, Garrus. I didn’t think you thought of me the same way I thought of you when we first met.”

Garrus walked up to the upper level, fidgeting with his hands. “I was afraid of rejection. Kaidan obviously had a crush on you, and I thought he had already claimed you as his bond mate. Turians don’t dishonor each other by stealing bond mates.”

“But I’m not his,” There was a moment of silence. “What do you want to do, Garrus? If you want to stay friends, I… understand.”

Garrus turned to look at her. He noticed the Likuna dangling from her neck, light from the blue aquarium reflecting off of it. He loved her, that was for certain. “I want to be by your side until the day that I draw my last breath. The Spirits brought you into my life; I can’t imagine a day without you.”

Kate walked up the few steps and hugged him close to her, her face nuzzling one of his mandibles. “I can’t imagine my life without you either. You’re the most amazing person I have ever met.”

Garrus picked her up into his arms. “Bonded forever.”

“Forever.” Shepard smiled. “There is no Shepard without Vakarian.”

~The End


End file.
